Allen Stanford Is Medically ‘Numbed’ and Unable to Testify, Lawyer Says
A lawyer for R. Allen Stanford says his client is so heavily medicated that the accused financier can’t assist in his defense or testify at trial.
Lawyer Ali Fazel says in court papers that Stanford’s mental, emotional and physical health are “drastically deteriorating” and he should be released on bail, according to Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, which posted the motion (PDF). His problems stem from “incidents” that occurred during Stanford’s imprisonment, including an assault by an inmate that resulted in traumatic brain injury and impaired vision, the document says.
Stanford’s medications have put him “in an unfocused and numbed state of mind,” the motion says, leaving him unable to assist his lawyers or “invoke basic constitutional rights.”
Stanford is accused in a $7 billion fraud involving sales of certificates of deposit.
